Emirates Literature Foundation and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) announced today the signing of a new agreement which sees DEWA become the Official Sustainability Partner for the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, the largest and best-loved celebration of the written and spoken word in the Middle East.

HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Emirates Literature Foundation, said: “The Emirates Literature Foundation and the Festival keep going from strength to strength, having a proven positive impact on our diverse community. Sustainability is of vital importance to us all, and therefore a crucial conversation to be had at the Festival. We are in a unique position to inform, entertain, engage and lead by example.”

“We are pleased that DEWA is the Official Sustainability Partner of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. We are committed to working closely with government and private organisations that strive to instil a culture of reading and make it a way of life. This supports the vision of our wise leadership to establish a reading society in the UAE. We believe in the importance of reading in people’s lives and its role in the development of their societies. This contributes to enhancing Dubai’s position as a city with a strong knowledge-based economy, and strengthens the UAE’s position as a capital for content, culture, and knowledge,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

“Our partnership with the Emirates Literature Foundation and our sponsorship of the sustainability programmes at the Festival complement our efforts to nurture a generation of readers who are tolerant, cultured, and aware of their role in supporting the National efforts to transform into a green economy. It also demonstrates our commitment to deepen the culture of sustainability to make conservation an essential part of individuals’ daily lives, behaviours and habits,” added Al Tayer.

Isobel Abulhoul OBE, CEO and founder of Emirates Literature Foundation, said: “Our very reason for being here as a Foundation is to improve lives. We know the joy of reading gives people better opportunities in life, improves health and happiness, and gives countless other benefits. But it is all meaningless if we allow our planet to continue its rapid decline.

“We have been making a difference in people’s lives for 12 years. As a Festival that has grown out of its community to become one of the best-loved literary festivals in the world, we will continue to spearhead the conversations that bring real change. We don’t claim to have all the answers, but we bring together the people that can help us find them.

“We can look forward to inspiring speakers as part of a diverse strand which will give us an opportunity to change the world together.”

The Festival is not only seeding conversations that spark change; it is leading by example. It has taken great strides towards becoming a sustainable event with the banning of all single-use plastic in 2019 and the installation of a free water fountain, which is estimated to have saved more than 11,000 disposable plastic bottles and 168,000kg of CO2. It has also implemented a green procurement policy which gives preference to sustainable options in everything from consultancy to paper choices. The 2020 Festival is planned to incorporate several additional green initiatives.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, The Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature will return for its 12^th edition 4-9 February 2020. It is held with the support of founding partners Emirates and Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, and will return for its 12^th edition 4-9 February 2020 at InterContinental Dubai – Festival City.  The homegrown Festival brings people of all ages and backgrounds together with authors from around the world to promote the love of reading, writing and great conversation.

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